Caracas Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Caracas
- City
- Caracas
- Country
- Venezuela
- Latitude
- 10.4806
- Longitude
- -66.9036
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 17.88
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 22%
- Dataset
- April 2026
Inner city sky
Caracas: The Practical Verdict
Caracas, Venezuela’s capital nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains, is a bustling major city with severe light pollution. Under its Class 9 inner-city sky, stargazing opportunities are profoundly limited. The overwhelming urban glow deprives viewers of the Milky Way, leaving only the Moon and brighter planets as practical visual targets.
From the city itself, focusing on solar system objects or brighter double stars is the most feasible option, offering relief from the invasive skyglow. Deep-sky observations, such as nebulae or galaxies, remain virtually unattainable without enhanced imaging setups.
To escape the city's overwhelming light dome, Isla La Orchila to the north-north-east offers significantly darker skies around 170 km away, ideal for deep-sky enthusiasts seeking breathtaking nebulae and galaxies.
At a Glance
- Overall
- Severe urban sky - This is a severely light-polluted urban sky. Only the Moon, planets, bright stars, and a few specialist targets remain practical.
- Milky Way
- Not visible - The Milky Way is not visible from this sky.
- Best targets from here
- Moon, planets, bright stars, double stars, solar system events, narrowband imaging only with care
- Do not prioritise
- visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae, widefield Milky Way
- Best nearby upgrade
- Isla La Orchila, Federal Dependencies sits about 170 km north north east and reaches Bortle 2, roughly 36x darker.
- Good dark window
- Caracas retains astronomical darkness throughout the year, so seasonality is less extreme than at higher latitudes. The main limitation is light pollution, not the length of the dark window.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see the Milky Way from Caracas?
No. Caracas is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.88, so the Milky Way is not visible from the city. For Milky Way photography, look for a Bortle 4 or darker site.
What Bortle class is Caracas?
Caracas is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.88), a severe urban sky for astronomy.
Is Caracas good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Caracas is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Caracas good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Caracas and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Caracas without careful processing.
What can you observe from Caracas?
Primary targets from Caracas include Moon, planets, bright stars, double stars, solar system events. Targets such as visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae are not realistic from this sky.
Where are darker skies near Caracas?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Loma de Caballo, Vargas State, about 9 km north east of Caracas, reaching Bortle 7.
When is the sky darkest in Caracas?
The sky over Caracas is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Caracas getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Caracas has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - fair
The north sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
north-north-east - marginal
A diffuse glow sits on the north-north-east horizon. Faint objects below 20 degrees in this direction are compromised.
north-east - good
The north-east sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
east-north-east - good
Dark horizon to the east-north-east. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
east - marginal
Noticeable glow on the east horizon. Stars below about 20 degrees in this direction are dimmed.
east-south-east - fair
The east-south-east sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
south-east - fair
Light glow detectable on the south-east horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
south-south-east - fair
Light glow detectable on the south-south-east horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
south - fair
A faint diffuse glow on the south horizon. Stars are visible to low elevation, with minor losses near the ground.
south-south-west - fair
Faint glow on the south-south-west horizon. Most stars are visible to low elevation; only the faintest near the ground are affected.
south-west - fair
Faint glow on the south-west horizon. Most stars are visible to low elevation; only the faintest near the ground are affected.
west-south-west - fair
Faint glow on the west-south-west horizon. Most stars are visible to low elevation; only the faintest near the ground are affected.
west - fair
A trace of skyglow near the west horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very close to the ground.
west-north-west - fair
The west-north-west sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
north-west - fair
The north-west sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
north-north-west - marginal
The north-north-west sky shows a clear glow near the ground. Above about 20 degrees the sky returns to workable.
zenith - poor
The zenith is bright enough to be obvious without dark adaptation. The Milky Way is not visible.
-
Loma de Caballo, Vargas State
- Direction
- NE
- Distance (km)
- 9
- SQM
- 18.95
- Bortle
- 7
-
El Carmen, Aragua State
- Direction
- WSW
- Distance (km)
- 40.1
- SQM
- 19.74
- Bortle
- 6
-
Primer Paso, Aragua State
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 63.8
- SQM
- 19.91
- Bortle
- 6
-
Cansamacho La Trilla, Aragua State
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 91.5
- SQM
- 20.18
- Bortle
- 6
-
Isla La Orchila, Federal Dependencies
- Direction
- NNE
- Distance (km)
- 170
- SQM
- 21.78
- Bortle
- 2
-
Isla La Tortuga, Federal Dependencies
- Direction
- ENE
- Distance (km)
- 185
- SQM
- 21.74
- Bortle
- 2